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Inside Western, Press Release

GUNNISON, Colo. – On August 18, 2016 the Master in Gallery Management and Exhibits Specialization (MGES) will hold the first class in the newly renovated Quigley Hall. The $25.8 million renovation gives the new students an opportunity to work in a state-of-the-art, professional gallery space. The first professional exhibit to be displayed by the Masters students will feature the sculptures of Western Department of Art alumna Bryson Darnel, and antique Japanese prints in the collection of Western Foundation benefactor, Ethel Rice.

GUNNISON, Colo. – Western’s newest graduate program, Master of Arts in Gallery Management and Exhibits Specialization, is set to partner with the AR Mitchell Museum of Western Art of Trinidad, Colo. Earlier this year AR Mitchell Museum Board President Suz Porterfield reached out to the American Museum of Western Art – Anschutz Collection in Denver, for professional management advice and was recommended to Western’s MGES program.

The award not only promotes Western's commitment to creating a greener campus, it also will interest prospective students. The 2015 College Hopes and Worries Survey conducted by The Princeton Review reported that 61 percent of future college students are influenced by a school's commitment to the environment.

"Having that bronze star for Western is way to let prospective students know that we're making positive strides," said Brooke Moran, Professor of Recreation & Outdoor Education.

The Colorado Outdoor Educator Symposium is one of the largest student-led conferences in Western's history. The goal of the symposium is to provide college students from around Colorado the opportunity to connect and network with each other while gaining a better understanding of the outdoor industry.

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Western was not Lee Birk's first choice college. He originally went to Fort Lewis College, where he met his wife his freshman year. Shortly after getting married, the two moved to Gunnison where Mrs. Birk grew up. It was a simple transfer, but Birk is thankful for it. As a double major in Political Science and Sociology, Birk earned the educational foundations he needed for his current career in the police force.

Megan Peck was first drawn to Western the same way many students before and after her have been: the beautiful mountains surrounding the Gunnison Valley and the opportunity to hit the slopes right after class. However, Peck also earned the educational foundation she needed to assist in the life-changing work she is currently doing as a Fulbright-Fogarty scholar.

When new students come to Western, many are captivated by the beautiful mountain ranges, taken by the welcoming community and staff, and eager for the endless adventures that await. It has and always will be this way.

Western alum Dr. Paul Gillis is back on campus after a 40-year hiatus, revisiting his old stomping grounds and reconnecting with the community that nurtured him as an undergrad. But this time around he’s facing the other side of the classroom.

Gillis is serving Western as a visiting professor in Accounting. He’s currently on sabbatical from his regular professorship at the Guanghua School of Management at the University of Peking in China, one of the top universities in the country, and arguably the world.